Simplify the expression 4(x – 3) + 2.
A. x – 10
B. 4x – 1
C. 4x – 14
D. 4x – 10
D?
Right, again! D.
Yes D
To simplify the expression 4(x – 3) + 2, we need to apply the distributive property first, which states that when a number is multiplied by a sum or difference in parentheses, it needs to be distributed to each term inside the brackets. In this case, the 4 outside the parentheses needs to be multiplied by both terms inside.
So, multiplying 4 by x gives us 4x, and multiplying 4 by -3 gives us -12. The expression becomes:
4x - 12 + 2
Next, we combine like terms. The terms -12 and 2 can be added together, giving us -10. The expression becomes:
4x - 10
Therefore, the correct simplified expression is 4x - 10, which matches option D.